Material-handling apparatus



April 28, 1942- R. A. FoREsMAN MATERIAL HANDLING' APPARATUS Filed May l, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 wlTNEssEs; o v 4.7L

F'l GL. 4. Rogan-r Fl. FonEsMnN.

Patented Apr. 28, 1942 Robert A. Foresman, Prospect Park, Pa., assignor to Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 1, 1940, sei-iai No. 332,642

' 5 Claims.

The invention relates to material-handling apparatus, more particularly to storage hoppers provided with means for removing` the material therefrom, and has for an objectto provide an improved hopper of this type.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a storage hopper provided with sizing means for preventing discharge of large pieces of material from the hopper, together with crushing means for reducing such large-pieces of material to a suitable size for discharge.

A further object of the invention is to provide a storage hopper having a stepped bottom together with means for moving material along each step from the topmost to the 'bottommost and with the discharge opening positioned adjacent the bottommost step for receiving the mai terial moved thereto,

These and other objects are effected by my invention as will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a storage hopper constructed in accordance with the invention: v

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along I the line III-III of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; and,

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to Fig. 1, but showing a further modification of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, there is shown, at I0, in Fig. 1, the discharge end of the overfeed section of the conventional multiple retort Stoker. Disposed beneath the discharge end of the stoker is an elongated storage hopper II having its major axis disposed transversely to the direction of travel of the fuel along the stoker retort's, with the end walls I2 and I3 o! the hopper positioned in approximately vertiJ cal alignment with the side walls I4 and I5, respectively, of the furnace housing of the stoker. Similarly, the side walls I6 and I1 of the hopper are positioned in vertical alignment with the Walls I8 and I 9, respectively, as illustrated in Fig. 3. The furnace structure is of conventional design, "the walls thereof being supported in any suitable manner, as by means of the structural members 20, suitable means being provided for cooling said walls in the vicinity of the storage hopper, for example, the water supply pipes 2| and 22 (Fig. 3)

The end and side walls of the hopper may be constructed in any desired manner, as by the plates 25 and 26 having strengthening or reenforcing iianges 2l and connecting flanges 28 by which adjacent plates 25 and 26 may be united. Similarly, the ash pit bottom may be comprised by a plate having reenforcing and supporting anges 3l. Preferably, the interior of the bottom 30 is provided with one or more steps 32,

having risers 33, for a purpose to be hereinafter f described.

The end wall I3 of the hopper is provided adjacent the bottom thereof with a discharge outlet communicating with a discharge conduit 36, such communication being controlled by suitable means, such as the valve structure 31.

Within y the hopper, adjacent the outlet 35, there is disposed means for reducing the size of material therein prior to its discharge therefrom,

said means comprising a pair of clinker grinder s rolls 39 and 40, extending transversely of the hopper in close proximity to the bottom thereof and driven in any suitable manner by means of the gears 4i. Preferably, the bottom o .f the hopper immediately below the rolls is recessed or depressed as at 42, whereby the axial centerlines of the rolls 39 and 40 liebelowthe surface of the hopper bottom 30, for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

A grid or sizing plate extends transversely of the hopper from 'side wall to side wall thereof with its upper end abutting the end wall I3 near the top of the latter, as at 46, and with its lower end disposed close to the grinder rolls 39 and 40, as at 41. The plate 45 maybe supported in any suitable manner as bymeans of the brackets 48 and 49 and is provided with a plurality of perforations 50 of such siz'e as to prevent passage therethrough of materials too large to be suitably discharged through the outlet conduit 36 and its associated apparatus. Such apparatus may include ejector mechanism for causing movement of the material along the discharge conduit 36 and it is desirable to assure that all material passing through such ejector is of sufciently small size to provide for optimum operation thereof. It Will be noted that the plate 45 is disposed in spaced relation to the end wall I3 whereby material passing through the openings 50 in the upper portion thereof may move freely down between said plate and the end wall to the discharge outlet 35.

In order to move material toward the outlet from all parts of the hopper there are provided a plurality of nozzles 52 in the end wall I2, said adapted to direct jets or streams 54 of water longitudinally of the hopper toward the outlet 35. Where the hopper is of considerable length, it is necessary to provide more than one set of jets lto provide for movement of material the full It will be noted that the lower section of the plate 45 is inclined with the lower end thereof positioned toward the discharge outlet with respect to the vertical position of the upper end thereof. This angular disposition of the lower section of the plate 45 results in downward defiection of large pieces of material when the same are projected against the plate by the jets or streams of water, whereby such pieces of material are caused to fall between the grinder rolls 39 and 40 where they are reduced in size and discharged from the hopper.

In operation, the jet valves 53 and 56, as well as the main discharge valve 31 are normally closed and the hopper substantially lled with water. Over a period of several hours, :ash and clinker will accumulate in the hopper and when the same is substantially filled,the valves 53, 56 and 31 are opened with the result that the jets 54 and E'Lagitate and thoroughly mix the ash and water and at the same time set up a generally circulatory movement thereof, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1. During this movement, the nner ash and particles will pass through the perforations 50 in the plate 45 for discharge through the conduit 36 while the pieces which are too large to pass through the perforations 50 are being broken either by impact against the plate 45 or by grinding or crushing in the rolls 39 and 40.

The modiiication illustrated inFig. 4 diiers from that just described in that the grinder rolls are omitted and the concave-convex lower section of the plate 45a is relied upon for reducing the size of the large pieces of material.

As indicated by the arrows, the material is moved toward the plate 45a by the jets 54a and 51a and contacts 'the plate withv considerable force, the pieces which are not lsuiiliclently reduced in size to pass through the perforations 50a being carried upwardly to drop again into the let, although it is apparent that either the horil zontal or the inclined type of step may be used with the structure of either Fig. 1 or Fig. 4.

While I have shown my i'nvention in several forms, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that lt is not so limited, but is susceptible of length ofv the `hopper and to this end the stepped nozzles being controlled by valves 53 and being various other changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire. therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In an ash disposal system, a storage hopper having an ash inletat the top and a discharge outlet at the bottom, valve mechanism for controlling said discharge outlet, a grid ln said hopper adjacent the discharge outlet for preventing passage therethrough of clinkers exceeding a predetermined size, and hydraulic means for repeatedly projecting clinkers against said grid to reduce the size of said clinkers.

2. A structure as specified in claim 1, wherein said means comprises one or more nozzles for directing a stream or streams of water along the hopper bottom in the direction of the grid.

3. In a material disposal system, a storage hopper having an inlet at the top and a discharge outlet in one side wall'adjacent the bottom. a screening plate disposed in spaced relation to said outlet and covering4 thesaine and through which material of less than a predetermined size may pass for discharge from the hopper through the outlet, valve means for controlling passage of material through said outlet, and means for reducing material to less than said predetermined size, said means including a plurality of nozzles for directing jets of Water across the bottom of the hopper Vtowards the outlet' and the intervening screening plate to repeatedly project said material against said plate.

4. In an ash disposal system, a storage hopper t plate structure, said nozzles and concave plate v structure being so related that pieces of ash or clinker too large to pass through the perforations lof the plate will be projected against said platel by the jets of water and thereby broken, and any unbroken pieces will tend to travel upwardly along the concave surface and fall back into said jets for repeatedprojectlon against. the plate 5. In a material disposal system; a storage hopper open at the top for the reception of material and having a discharge outlet adjacent the intersection of one side wall and the bottom;

screening means disposed between said outlet and the interior of the hopper and through which material of less than a predetermined size may pass from said hopper to and through said outlet; and means for reducing material to less than said'predetermined size, said means comprising a plurality of nozzles for directing jets of 'water along the bottom of the hopper towards the out'` let `and against the intervening screening means, and grinding rolls disposed below the screening means and adjacent the outlet fpr reducing the size ofimaterial too large to pass through said screening means.

' ROBERT A. FORESMAN. 

